Using History to Chart the Future of AI: An Interview with Katja Grace - Future of Life Institute

The million-dollar question in AI circles is: When? When will artificial intelligence become so smart and capable that it surpasses human beings at every task? AI is already visible in the world through job automation, algorithmic financial trading, self-driving cars and household assistants like Alexa, but these developments are trivial compared to the idea of artificial general intelligence (AGI) – AIs that can perform a broad range of intellectual tasks just as humans can. Many computer scientists expect AGI at some point, but hardly anyone agrees on when it will be developed. Given the unprecedented potential of AGI to create a positive or destructive future for society, many worry that humanity cannot afford to be surprised by its arrival.